Mike McCarthy fined $100,000, paid Dallas Cowboys 2023 OTA for violating rules of practice

DALLAS — For the second year in a row, Dallas Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy has been fined for violating rules regarding off-season practices, according to owner and general manager Jerry Jones.

McCarthy was fined $100,000, and the Cowboys were inducted into a 2023 organized collegiate activity for practices the NFL deemed too physical. The organization was not fined other than in 2021.

A year ago, McCarthy was fined $50,000 and Cowboys $100,000 and the OTA was withdrawn for the same reason. Dallas was one of three teams to be fined in 2021 and whose OTA was withdrawn for training violations. San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan has been fined $50,000 and the organization $100,000, while the Jacksonville Jaguars have been fined $200,000 and former coach Urban Meyer $100,000.

McCarthy reduced the small Cowboys mandatory camp from three practices to one this week, but that had nothing to do with the penalty. The Cowboys held a team-building event at Topgolf on Wednesday, veterans were relieved of work Thursday while the rookies met with coaches and held the final weightlifting session.

“I think the most important thing is that you have the starting line and the finish line and it just felt like we crossed the finish line especially with the veterans,” McCarthy said when asked why he cut to the junior camp. “And the focus of today was really spending the last time with the rookies. I think they had the opportunity to get the final climb of the week, spend a bunch of one-on-one time with the coordinators and the assistant coaches and really focus on the five week plan ahead of them. Everything we wanted to get done in Off season, and the focus is really turning to their individual five-week plan.”